Oscillatable fiber rake



DCC. 5, 1967 M @L LYTTON ETAL 3,355,227.33

OSCILLATABLE FIBER BAKE Filed July e, 1964 v 2 Sheets-Sheel 1 I NV'ENTOR s ATTDRNEYS K. G. I YTTON ET AL Dec. 5, 19,67

OSCILLATABLE FIBER RAKE 2 Sheets-Sheei 2 Filed July 1964 INVENTORS @MW5MM 0* ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,355,773 OSCILLATABLE BEBERRAKE Kenneth G. Lytton, Gastonia, and Cecil S. Wise, Dailas,

NiC., assignors to Fiber' Controls Corporation, Gastenia, N13., acorporation of North Carolina Filed .truly S, 1964, Ser. No. 381,015Claims. (Cl. 19--105) In this invention relates to a rake or the likefor use as an oscillating ber comb or doffer.

lt is customary in equipment for feeding textile bers into a cardingmachine or card to employ an inclined spiked apron with an oscillatingcomb at its upper front side in close proximity to the spiked apron tostrip therefrom surplus fibers so that upwardly beyond the comb theapron carries a web or mat of fibers of generally uniform thickness.Such a comb is frequently referred to as a Sargent comb, for example asin the Lytton Patent 2,9,05,783, and this invention relates to such acomb.

It is also customary in textile feeding equipment to have a doiierassociated with the inclined apron, adjacent the top rear side thereof,to strip the fibers from the apron and allow them to fall downwardly inopened condition through a discharge opening. In that Lytton patent, thedotiert is rotary, but the type of doffer to which the present inventionre ates is more like an oscillating Sargent comb such as the oscillatingdotfer disclosed and claimed in the copending Wise application,Oscillating Dotfer and Drive Therefor, Serial No. 357,422, filed April6, 1964, now abandoned.

ln the past, Sargentcombs have been made with an arcuate wooden faceplate of substantial thickness, with four or so banks or rows of spikesprotruding therefrom at an angle of about 45 to the tangent. Such a combcan only be oscillated at approximately 150 oscillations per minutebecause of its weight and resultant stresses and strains imposed, buteven then numerous mechanical connections including spokes on theeccentric drives may break.

However, with a rake or comb constructed in accordance with the presentinvention and having the same number of spikes, at least twice the speedmay be obtained with less stress and strain on the connections andlinkages driving the comb, and without likelihood of breakage of anypart of the driving equipment.

it is therefore the primary object of the present inven tion to providean improved fiber rake, which may be used either as an oscillating combor doffer, and which is substantially lighter vin weight than priorSargent combs, and which therefore presents substantially reducedstresses and strains to the connections driving the improved rake.

Another object of this invention, in conjunction with the foregoingobject, is the provision of an oscillating ber rake using a strengthenedaluminum plate instead of the prior art wooden plate, to provide agreatly reduced weight and amount of stress and strain but yet retainingthe necessary strength to hold the oscillating drive and spikes.

A further object of this invention is the provision of spike holdingelements secured to the aluminum plate in positions alternating withstrengthening ribs in the plate, with the holding7 elements being soconstructed that the spikes protrude from a surface thereof at 90 tomake an acute angle, such as 45, with the aluminum plate, therebyobviating the problem of the prior art of catching bers in the acuteangle corner between the spike and plate.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the appended claims andthe following de- 3,355,773 Patented Dec. 5, lilo? tailed description ofthe invention, in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which:

FlGURE 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of a rakeconstructed in accordance with this invention,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the rake ot FIGURE l,

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational View of the rake of FIGURE l, and

FiGURE 4 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of thisinvention.

IN FIGURES 1-3, a rake constructed in accordance with this inventionincludes a left paddle or mounting arm 10 and spaced therefrom acorresponding right paddle or mounting arm l2. As is apparent fromFIGURE 3, these arms are at opposite ends of the rake. They may be madeof cast metal or the like, as desired. Preferably, arms itl and l2 havean outer rim or tiange i4 extending across the upper side, down the leftor front side, and across the lower side of the arms in a Tconfiguration relative to a web 16 in which is an opening 18. At therear end, the arms liti and l2 have a shaft mounting element Ztl whichis split on one side as at 22 and through which extends a tighteningmeans such as bolt Z4 by which the arm may be secured to a shaft (notshown) journalled in aperture 25 to oscillate the rake.

The front faces 26 of arms l@ and 12 are arcs of a circle, and securedbetween them is an arcuate aluminum face plate or sheet 23, whichcontains parallel, transversely spaced strengthening humps or ribs 30,and which extends back onto the upper and lower sides 14 to which theplate is respectively secured by rivets 32 and 34. In between thestrengthening ribs 30 are four spike or pin bars 36. These bars or slats36 extend parallel the full length of plate 2S and are secured theretoand to mounting arms l and l2 by bolts 33.

Protruding at 9G degrees from a surface 40 in each of the spike bars isa bank or row of spikes 42.. Surface 4d is spaced from the base surface44 of the spike bar by the height of side 46 of the bar. The slope ofsurface 40 makes an angle of about 45 degrees with side 46, meaning thatspikes 42 are set at an angle of about 45 degrees to the tangent of thearc of the aluminum face plate.

By virtue of the spikes protruding from their surface at degrees, theproblem in the prior art of iihers being caught by the spikes becausethey make an acute angle of 45 degrees or so with the surface from whichthey protrude, is obviated.

While the embodiment in FIGURES l-3 is such that it may be mounted on orremoved from a shaft only when slid over the end of the shaft, theembodiment in FIGURE 4 allows each arm of the rake to be disposed aboutthe shaft or removed therefrom without removing the shaft from thefeeding machine or the like in which it is disposed.

ln the FGURE 4 embodiment, arm itl is split from front to rear along acentered cut line 4S in front rim 14, web lo and element Ztl', so thathy removal of bolts 24 and 5t? the upper and lower halves of the arm maybe opened with the aluminum face plate 2% bending slightly, to open thecut 22 suflicientiy to embrace the driving shaft. This embodiment is ofa substantial advantage in the repair or replacement of rakes and/orarms thereof in that it is exceptionally convenient and fast to mount orremove the rake arms of the FIGURE 4 type.

In FIGURES l and 4, the aluminum backing plate 2S extends back over theupper side rim 14 further than the lower side rim 14. This is for thepurpose of helping to prevent long fibers from wrapping themselvesaround the aluminum plate.

By virtue of this invention, it is possible, as previously mentioned, toincrease the rate of oscillation of the rake,

vhen it is used either as a Sargent comb or oscillating loter, to morethan double the prior art operation of l50 oscillations per minute for awooden type comb with i'our banks of spikes, without causing any suchstresses 1nd strains as to break any of the driving equipment. Theseadvantages are mainly due to the lightening of the ake by use of analuminum face plate instead of the previous wooden plate normallyemployed. While the mounting arm at each end of the aluminum plate isusually all that is necessary because of the strength which the aluminumplate has by virtue of its strengthening ribs 30, one or more furthermounting arms may be employed midway along the length of the aluminumplate, as vde sired.

Thus, it is apparent that this invention has provided for all of theobjects and advantages herein mentioned. Other objects and advantages,and even further modifications of the invention, will become apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure.However, it is to be understood that the foregoing description isexemplary and not limitative, the invention being defined by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A rake for use as an oscillating fiber comb or dofer, comprising:

an aluminum sheet curved substantially in an arc of a circle and havinga plurality of spaced strengthening humps formed in the sheet in thelengthwise direction thereof,

a pair of arms respectively secured to opposite ends of said sheet foreffecting an oscillatable mounting therefor, and

a. plurality of elongated spike holders each having a base surface andangularly spaced outwardly therefrom a given surface from the length ofwhich a multiplicity of spikes protrude substantially perpendicularly,

said spike holders being secured to said curved aluminum sheet inalternation with said strengthening humps with said base surfacescontiguous to said sheet so that said spikes extend at an angle acuterelative to their respective tangent of said arc.

Z. A rake as in claim 1 wherein said acute langle is approximately 45.

3. The rake of claim 1 wherein said arms each have an aperture at theends thereof opposite said aluminum sheet for mounting the arms on anoscillating shaft, said arms being longitudinally split into upper andlower halves to facilitate mounting and .removal from said shaft; theforward ends of the arm halves of each ar-m being bendably securedtogether by said aluminum sheet.

4. The rake of claim 1 wherein said aluminum sheet extends from one endof said arms back onto the top and bottom sides thereof for helping toprevent long bers from wrapping themselves around the aluminum plate.

5. A rake for use as an oscillating ber comb or doffer,

comprising:

a pair of generally parallel laterally spaced arms each having means atone end for securement to a shaft for oscillating said arms about saidone end of each;

a face plate composed of light metal sheet material,

said face plate extending between and being fixedly mounted on theopposite ends of said arms for oscillation therewith, said face platehaving an outer face arcuate away from sai-d arms one end about an axisparallel to that of said securement means;

a plurality of strengthening ribs on said face plate extending in thelengthwise direction thereof;

a plurality of slats fixedly mounted on said sheet outer face parallelto said axis and laterally spaced from one another in alternation withsaid strengthening ribs, each slat having a base surface contiguous tosaid sheet outer face;

at least one row of spikes mounted in and protruding from each slat atan acute angle to said sheet outer face;

the exterior surface of each slat, where the spikes protrude therefrom,sloping sufficiently that each spike protrudes from each respective slatsubstantially perpendicularly to said exterior surface of the respectiveslat, where the spikes protrude therefrom, the slats thereby beingconstructed and varranged for preventing the catching of fibers betweensaid spikes and said sheet outer face.

References Cited UNTED STATES PATENTS 1,520,034 12/1924 Mackie 177-1192,372,543 3/1945 Bokum 198-161 2,702,177 2/1955 Jee et al. 177--120 X2,748,998 6/1956 Busald 177-116 X 2,809,401 10/1957 Avery 19-653,123,866 3/1964 Stewart et al. 19--97 FOREIGN PATENTS 651,018 10/ 1962Canada.

263,334 9/1913 Germany.

18,494 of 1889 Great Britain.

22,017 of 1900 Great Britain.

22,856 of 1913 Great Britain.

954,105 4/1964 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

D. NEWTON, Assistant Examiner.

1. A RAKE FOR USE AS AN OSCILLATING FIBER COMB OR DOFFER, COMPRISING: ANALUMINUM SHEET CURVED SUBSTANTIALLY IN AN ARC OF A CIRCLE AND HAVING APLURALITY OF SPACED STRENGTHENING HUMPS FORMED IN THE SHEET IN THELENGTHWISE DIRECTION THEREOF, A PAIR OF ARMS RESPECTIVELY SECURED TOOPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SHEET FOR EFFECTING AN OSCILLATABLE MOUNTINGTHEREFOR, AND A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED SPIKE HOLDERS EACH HAVING A BASESURFACE AND ANGULARLY SPACED OUTWARDLY THEREFROM A GIVEN SURFACE FROMTHE LENGTH OF WHICH A MULTIPLICITY OF SPIKES PROTRUDE SUBSTANTIALLYPERPENDICULARLY, SAID SPIKE HOLDERS BEING SECURED TO SAID CURVEDALUMINUM SHEET IN ALTERNATION WITH SAID STRENGTHENING HUMPS WITH SAIDBASE SURFACES CONTIGUOUS TO SAID SHEET SO THAT SAID SPIKES EXTEND AT ANANGLE ACUTE RELATIVE TO THEIR RESPECTIVE TANGENT OF SAID ARC.